Selenoprotein S (SelS) is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident protein involved in the unfolded protein response. Besides reducing ER-stress, SelS attenuates inflammation by decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokines. We have recently shown that SelS is responsive to ischemia in cultured astrocytes. To check the possible association of SelS with astrocyte activation, here we investigate the expression of SelS in two models of brain injury: kainic acid (KA) induced excitotoxicity and cortical mechanical lesion. The regulation of SelS and its functional consequences for neuroinflammation, ER-stress, and cell survival were further analyzed using cultured astrocytes from mouse and human. According to our immunofluorescence analysis, SelS expression is prominent in neurons and hardly detectable in astrocytes from control mice. However, brain injury intensely upregulates SelS, specifically in reactive astrocytes. SelS induction by KA was evident at 12 h and faded out after reaching maximum levels at 3-4 days. Analysis of mRNA and protein expression in cultured astrocytes showed SelS upregulation by inflammatory stimuli as well as ER-stress inducers. In turn, siRNA-mediated SelS silencing combined with adenoviral overexpression assays demonstrated that SelS reduces ER-stress markers CHOP and spliced XBP-1, as well as inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-6 in stimulated astrocytes. SelS overexpression increased astrocyte resistance to ER-stress and inflammatory stimuli. Conversely, SelS suppression compromised astrocyte viability. In summary, our results reveal the upregulation of SelS expression in reactive astrocytes, as well as a new protective role for SelS against inflammation and ER-stress that can be relevant to astrocyte function in the context of inflammatory neuropathologies.

Increase in intracellular calcium ([Ca(2+) ]i ) is a key mediator of astrocyte signaling, important for activation of the calcineurin (CN)/nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) pathway, a central mediator of inflammatory events. We analyzed the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 3 (Mmp3) in response to increases in [Ca(2+) ]i and the role of the CN/NFAT pathway in this regulation. Astrocyte Mmp3 expression was induced by overexpression of a constitutively active form of NFATc3, whereas other MMPs and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP) were unaffected. Mmp3 mRNA and protein expression was also induced by calcium ionophore (Io) and 2'(3')-O-(4-benzoylbenzoyl) adenosine 5'-triphosphate (Bz-ATP) and Mmp3 upregulation was prevented by the CN inhibitor cyclosporin A (CsA). Ca(2+) -dependent astrocyte Mmp3 expression was also inhibited by actinomycin D, and a Mmp3 promoter luciferase reporter was efficiently activated by increased [Ca(2+) ]i , indicating regulation at the transcriptional level. Furthermore, Ca(2+) /CN/NFAT dependent Mmp3 expression was confirmed in pure astrocyte cultures derived from neural stem cells (Ast-NSC), demonstrating that the induced Mmp3 expression occurs in astrocytes, and not microglial cells. In an in vivo stab-wound model of brain injury, MMP3 expression was detected in NFATc3-positive scar-forming astrocytes. Because [Ca(2+) ]i increase is an early event in most brain injuries, these data support an important role for Ca(2+) /CN/NFAT-induced astrocyte MMP3 expression in the early neuroinflammatory response. Understanding the molecular pathways involved in this regulation could provide novel therapeutic targets and approaches to promoting recovery of the injured brain.